Picking up the Pieces
by InsidersSoul522
Summary: Bella is a single mom to 3 year old Beth. One Friday night out with friends she meets Edward Cullen and is instanly attracted. Can Bella let another man into her life after what she has been through? Can Edward break down the walls she has built up?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Twilight. Stephanie Meyers does. Hope I don't piss her off with what I have done with the characters.**

Yet another Monday. I looked at the clock for at least the 10th time and sadly realized that only 20 minutes had passed.

"Stop looking at me!" was shouted followed by the sound of a hand meeting a cheek.

"Dammit!" I muttered under my breath. "They so do not pay me enough for this!"

I ran over to where the 2 boys are fighting and pull them apart from each other. "Alright. Carter, Justin that is enough. What happened this time? Carter you talk first since James is the one with the hand print on his cheek"

"I WAS DIGGING FOR ….."

"Carter, stop yelling in my face. I am not yelling at you, so please show me the same respect and don't yell in mine"

After 5 minutes of figuring out what was wrong and sorting it all out the boys ran off as fast friends forgetting that they hated each other.

"I am telling you Bella you have more patience for these kids than a saint would!" my co-teacher Angela said. "I don't know how you do it. You have a kid at home and yet you can come and work at a daycare for 40 hours a week. When was the last time you went out with a guy? And by that I mean on a date without your daughter?"

I looked at Angela and wondered the same thing. I thought back and I can't honestly remember the last time it happened. "Depressing as it sounds, I can't remember! I don't feel like I can ask Charlie to watch Beth. He already is doing so much for us by letting us live with him again. I don't want to burden him anymore than I have to."

"Burden him? Bella, you cook a meal every night. Not to mention cleaning the house and doing all of the laundry. It's like you have 2 full time jobs. You are here with Beth by 6:15 every morning and I am guessing with everything you do, you are not in bed by 11. You need to take some time for yourself! Look me, Ben, Jessica, and Mike are going to a club in PA on Friday. Ask Charlie if he can watch Beth overnight so you can come with us. You need this!"

"We'll see Angela. It sounds like fun. I used to love going out I just never felt okay doing it after I had Beth."

"Well now is the time to live a little bit Ms. Swan! You are coming with us if I have to beg Charlie myself! Come on, let's get these guys inside for lunch. I don't know about you but I am hoping that they fall asleep quick!"

I laugh along with Angela while rounding up our class of 4 and 5 year olds. Today is one of the rare sunny days here in Forks so we were making the most of it getting the kids outside. We got them inside and lunch in them in a quick manner and got settled in for nap. During my break, I sat with my computer and made sure all my bills were paid and started planning the menu at home for the week.

Monday's were Beth's favorite. When I got off work, I would pick here up from her class and she and I would go to the grocery store. At 3, she thought she was a big girl by being able to push her own little cart around the store and putting things in it. Usually it is slow enough in the store where I can giver her money and she can "buy" her own food.

Charlie and I had this unspoken agreement. He would pay for all of the food as long as I cooked some good meals with it. Before Beth and I moved in with him, all he would do was eat at the smalle Diner here in town or have some cereal. After his doctor told him that he needed to eat healthier he tried to cook, but failed horribly. We have scorch marks over the stove to prove it and a brand new microwave. He was more than happy to hand over the cooking to me when we moved in.

Finally 3:30 came around and I said goodbye to Angela after she reminded me again to talk to Charlie about Friday night. I went to Beth's classroom to pick her up and she ran over to me carrying a picture the she had colored.

"Mommy, Mommy look! I drew a picture of our family! There's you. There's me. And there's Papa!" she exclaimed. "Is it time to go home? Are we going to the store? I wanna get fruit snacks!"

Beth was talking a mile a minute and it took me a minute to catch up with what she was saying and asking. "Peanut that is a beautiful picture! You colored it so nicely. It is time to leave here and yes, we are going to the store. We need to stock up on our food for the week. As for the fruit snacks, we will see. I am not sure we have enough for them today, but I will try to get them for you." I waved to her teacher and we walked out to the parking lot to my car. When I first lived with Charlie in high school, I had this beat up red truck, but when I had Beth I had to trade it in for a used Honda. When I got it I missed my truck. I loved that thing so much, but when you have a baby and no back seat it causes a few issues.

Beth climbed in and started to buckle herself in. Independence has really kicked in with her the past month or so. It started with buckling herself in the car seat and its evolved to picking out her own clothes, brushing her own hair, brushing her own teeth, even picking out my clothes for the day. Amazingly enough what she picks out matches and works perfectly for the day that we will have. I have no clue where this fashion side of her came from considering I am a jean and a t-shirt girl.

We pull into the supermarket parking lot and climb out of the car. "I'm sorry Peanut. It looks like it is busy today. You are going to have to ride in the cart with Mommy. But I will still let you grab some of the stuff. That would be a big help."

"Okay Mommy. I like being your helper!" Beth bounced up and down looking forward to being my helper. We walk in, grab our cart and start heading for the fruit and veggies. I am lucky that I don't have a picky eater for a child. She seems to always be growing and will eat anything in front of her.

"Alright sweetie. Let's have a look at our list. It says that we need some oranges, apples, and a pineapple. We are going to make a fruit salad for Papa to take to work to snack on." I let her out of the cart and tell her to grab 5 of each of the apples and the oranges. After that she climbs back into the cart to continue our shopping. After 30 minutes we have enough food for the week plus a little extra for some snacks. Once we pay, we head back home and begin to unload and put everything away.

I start gathering the things that I need for our fish bake. It's Charlie's favorite and I want to butter him up for asking about Friday night. While I am chopping away at the veggies that go with it Beth walks into the kitchen looking puzzled.

"What's up buttercup?"

"Mommy, is Papa your Daddy?"

"Yes sweetie. He is. Why do you ask?"

"Well, while we were coloring pictures of our families Jenny started talking about how her and her daddy going to the zoo on Saturday. Mommy, where is my Daddy?"

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Flashes of James came flooding in and I quickly pushed them away. "Sweetie, sometimes Mommies and Daddies just can't be together. Your daddy and I found that we were happy when we were apart. I didn't want you to be sad, so you and me came to live with Papa. I wanted us to be happy and we are here. This is the best place for us. Besides, you have your Papa. Does Jenny's daddy ever take her and her mommy fishing? Your Papa loves you sooooooooooooooooo much! And so do I!" I silently prayed that that explanation would be enough for her. I really didn't want to get into that conversation right now. Or ever if I have to.

"Okay Mommy. I am going to go color a picture for Papa to take to work!" and off she ran to her little desk in the living room.

"Crisis averted!" I muttered to myself getting back to getting dinner ready.

By the time Charlie came home, dinner was just coming out of the oven. He waked in, took off his gun belt making sure his gun was unloaded and locking it up in the gun case in the hall closet. That was the first thing that he bought when he found out Beth and I were going to move home. He was so scared that a little 4 month old baby could get a gun and shoot herself that he went out and bought it. I remember laughing at the time, but became extremely happy when she started crawling.

"Smells good Bells. What are we having tonight?"

"Fish bake with steamed veggies. I also make a chocolate cake for dessert. I figured you could afford to splurge. You have behaved yourself lately.

"Hardy har har! Beth, your mom is a regular joker." Beth then climbed up in his lap and told him about her day. She was talking so fast I don't think Charlie caught half of it. He just sat there with a grin, nodding his head and smiling. Charlie is a man of few words and he does not show affection very often, but Beth managed to inch past that tough shell that no one else managed to. Charlie loves Beth, it's plain to see. The guys at the station rib him about it whenever we visit, but Charlie just brushes it off.

After dinner it's bath and bed time for Beth. That is always an adventure. Bath time can last up to an hour if I let her. Then it is pajama time and running down for Charlie to brush her hair and read her a story. Thankfully she does not fight bedtime. Have I mention how awesome my kid is?

When Beth is in bed, I clean up the kitchen and make my way into the living room with a Vitamin R for Charlie. He is watching some sports game and hardly looks up when I walk in. I give him the beer and sit down on the couch and act like I am enjoying the game. Sometime later I am shaken awake by Charlie and I sit up quickly.

"Actually Charlie I have a question for you. What is your schedule for Friday night and Saturday morning?"

"Well I get off at 4 on Friday and I don't have to go in until noon on Saturday. What's up?"

"Angela has asked if I want to go out on Friday night with her and Ben and Jessica and Mike. The only problem is it's in Port Angeles and we would end up staying the night there. I was wondering if it would be alright if I went. If I did, I was wondering if you could watch Beth for me. I know it's a lot of work. I would have dinner ready for you and her pajamas all ready to go along with her clothes for Saturday. Shoot, I forgot about breakfast. Maybe I shouldn't go. I have never been away from Beth. You don't need the added stress of her. I know she can be a handful. You know what. Never mind. Forget I asked. It's a stupid idea anyway. Who has ever heard of a mom going out dancing. I have other things I can do with my time. The yard needs mowed and I think the flower pots need weeding. Not to mention the laundry that needs to get done. You are going to be almost out of uniform shirts by then. I will just stay." I spat out all in one breath.

"Whoa. Slow down there Bells. You are going to give yourself a heart attack. Bella I want you to listen to me. You are 24 years old. You have a 3 year old daughter. You have been an adult for the past 4 years. Even when you were in high school you really didn't go out and party and hang out with friends. You have always acted older than your age. And for awhile I was thankful about that. But now, you are living with me, basically taking care of me and Beth. Go have fun. It's about damn time you asked for it anyway. Leave the kiddo with me. Don't worry about us. We get to have a night with out mom! It's going to be alright."

My mouth hung open by the time Charlie was done talking. I can't believe he just told me to go. I thought I was going to have to fight some more.

"Thanks Dad. I love you."

"Love you too, Bells. Now go to bed. Early morning tomorrow!"

**So this is my first FF. I don't know if anyone is actually going to be interested in it. This is loosely based on my life. I don't know when I will post again. I guess if I have people interested, I will try to get more out. Please let me know what you think. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Stephanie Meyers does. I just give the characters my story.**

Friday night quickly rolled around for me. The week was a whirlwind of preparations for the night. I am not used to going out and leaving Beth alone so I was nervous. I think I might have overdone the preparations just a tad. I have 3 different options for dinner in the fridge and instructions on 2 different breakfast options taped to the fridge. Not to mention the 5 different pajama options and the 4 Saturday clothing options for Beth. Between trying to get all the food and clothing prepared I was also making sure the laundry was caught up, cleaning the house and taking care of all the yard work. I don't think I have gone to bed before midnight once this week.

I got home from work and set Beth up with her favorite movie while I ran upstairs and took a quick shower, making sure my hair was conditioned and I had shaved everything that needed to be. Stepping out of the shower I wiped the fog off of the mirror and stared at my reflection. Plain brown hair that hit mid back. Plain brown eyes. Just plain everything. I always feel like such a nobody when I stand next to Angela and Jessica but I don't care. The plain ones don't get noticed and I like it that way. That means I don't have a bunch of guys in and out of my life confusing Beth. I am actually just fine with life being just me and Beth. From what I have learned guys only want sex, but when a pregnancy happens, they run. And run far and fast.

I quickly banish those thoughts from my mind and start getting ready. I quickly dry off and grab my underwear and bra set and put them on. Next are my dark skinny jeans and my off shoulder deep red shirt. I grab my brush and hair dryer and blow dry my hair till it's straight and flat iron out the few waves that I have. My make up is put on minimally. I give myself some smokey eyes and a pale nude lip gloss. I walk out of the bathroom and go check on Beth who is just finishing up her movie.

"Mommy! You look so pretty!" She ran up to me and started looking me over. "I know what you need!" Following her up to my room I find her in my closet throwing out shoes left and right. "Look! These will be so pretty!" She holds up a pair of 4 inch black heals. Beth runs over to my jewelry and starts looking through my necklaces. "Here. The oker with the pretty flower."

"Choker honey. And I think you are right. The flower matches my shirt. Now all I need is some earrings and I will be set. How about these?" I held up some long black teardrops.

Beth started squealing and jumping up and down. "That's perfect mommy!"

We walked downstairs and started supper so that was one less thing that Charlie had to worry about. When Ben and Angela pulled up, I ran out of the door shouting some last minute instructions for Charlie. "Don't give her any sweets an hour before bed. No scary movies. Try to make sure she is in bed by 9. Baby girl listen to Papa and I love you!" I hopped into the car and off we went.

"So where are we headed?"

"They are opening up this new place called Midnight Sun and Ben knows the owner. We get the VIP section and everything."

"Wow. That's awesome Ben. Anyone I would know?"

"Do you remember Jasper Hale from high school? He played football. Homecoming and Prom King."

"The name rings a bell, but I really didn't pay attention. You remember me right? Geeky, nerdy, studios, clumsy girl who was always studying and in the library? Sports were not so high on my list. Anyway, is that the owner?'

"Yep. Well, he actually owns half of the club. His brother in law owns the other half. They met each other in college in California."

"Why in the hell would you move from California to Port Angeles?" I exclaim. "I mean, why leave the warmth and the sunshine to come to cloudy and rainy?"

"Apparently Jasper's wife is opening her own clothing store and decided that she needed to have it up here. Anyway, since it's a family affair they all moved up here and the rest they say is history."

During Ben's explanation, I was fidgeting in the back seat with my phone. I was worried about Charlie and Beth. I shot Charlie a quick text checking as we pulled up to a busy parking lot. We all piled out of the car and started looking for Jessica and Mike.

"Over here! Over here! Angela, Ben, Bella!" We turn and see Jessica and Mike waving and running towards us. "Oh thank God we found you! The line is already around the block and we were not sure if you were already inside." Jessica huffed out as she got to us. Jessica and Mike have been married for about 2 years now. They were high school sweethearts and managed to stay together even after going to separate colleges.

"Hey guys. Glad to see you out of the house Bella. How is Beth doing?" Mike asked.

"Hey Mike, Jessica. Good to see you too. Beth is great. Busy as always." I say with a smile. I love my little girl.

We walk up to the door of the club and Ben goes straight to a huge guy which I am assuming is a bouncer. At least I hope he is. He is at least 6 foot 7 and is pure muscle. You know the kind of guy that looks like he lives to work out. He could squish me like a bug and I feel bad for anyone who tries to cross him.

"BEN!" the huge man shouts out. "It's about fucking time you got here. Jasper has been paging me every 5 minutes to see if you were here or not. Just a sec." He pushes the button that is connected to his ear piece. "Hey fucker. Your best buddy Ben is here. Can I keep him? He's so cute and looks house trained. I promise to be good to him. Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeee?"

I stood there in shock at what the giant was saying. Do people really act like that? I must be out of touch with the world. The shock must have been showing on my face cause the Hulk started talking to me.

"Hey there BEG! You are cute. Don't worry. Jazz won't let me keep him. I just like to yank his chain. I'm Emmett by the way. What's your name?"

"Um. I'm Bella?" It came out sounding more like a question than an actual statement. I am not sure what to make of this Emmett. He looks like the Hulk but seems to act like a teddy bear. This guy is interesting. I will give him that!

"Bella. A beautiful name for a beautiful girl. Although I think I am just going to call you BEG. I like it better."

"BEG? Do you think I am a dog begging for treats or something?"

"Nope. Brown Eyed Girl. You got some pretty brown eyes there sweets. Just go with it." As Emmett was saying this a tall guy with blonde hair walked up and started greeting Ben.

"Ben! It's about time you got here! I have had to fight off people trying to steal the VIP section. Emmett, let them through. And don't make me tell Rose I caught you flirting with this beauty over here." At the mention of this Rose person, Emmett paled.

"Dude. You tell her that and I won't get no lovin for a month! Alright guys, head on through. I will catch up to you later BEG!" Emmett shouted after us. We were all laughing as we walked into the club, but quickly stopped as we looked around. You couldn't tell it from the outside, but inside this place was amazing. It was a 3 story building with a huge dance floor right in the middle. There were 3 bars on the first floor with bartenders flipping bottles with ease. A huge DJ booth was set up on the 2nd floor overlooking the dance floor. The bass was up high enough that you could feel the vibrations in your body. Along with the DJ booth there were another 2 bars with the talented bartenders. On the 3rd floor were the VIP areas. The first 2 floors were black and a dark shade of gray. But when you got to the 3rd floor each VIP room had there own color. There was a forest green and chocolate brown, midnight blue and silver, and blood red and black. The VIP floor has its own bar and they all overlooked the dance floor. As we walked to our room, which happened to be the blue and silver, my body started to move with the music. While I had hardly ever gone to clubs before I had Beth I did go to a couple 18 plus nights. I enjoyed blending into the crowd and losing myself in the music. Once we settled in our room, the man that led us here continued to talk to Ben.

"Man, I am so happy to see you again! Hey Jessica, Mike. Glad to see you. And I'm not sure I know you. My name is Jasper Hale. I own this place."

"Hey Jasper. Nice to meet you. My name is Bella Swan. Your place is great. Thanks for letting me come and have some fun."

"Bella Swan? As in Forks police chief Charlie Swans daughter? I went to school with you! How have you been?"

"Yeah. That's me. I'm not surprised you don't recognize me. I was the quiet type. I was always in the library and away from the sports. I've been good. I live with Charlie again. Taking care of him."

"That's great. Hey guys. Everything is on the house tonight. Enjoy! I got to run. Alice said there is some emergency about some drapes." He rolled his eyes at that last comment. "Don't be strangers now!" With that he rushed off to find Alice and solve whatever problem there was.

"Alright. Well who wants what?" asked Ben.

"Beer."

"Wine"

"Wine"

"Vodka shot. With a Long Island chaser"

Everyone turned with shocked expressions on there faces. "What? It's my first night out, legal drinking age, without Beth. We are staying in town for the night. Can't I enjoy myself?" I ask all of them.

"Sure you can Bells. I'm just thinking about what all the parents would say if they knew their kids teacher was a drunk." stated Angela

"Ha! Even if they had the balls to ask me about my personal life, it's none of their business. Besides, it's their _lovely_ children that make me want to drink!" While saying that Ben came back with everyone's drinks and I downed my shot quickly and started drinking my special tea. We sat there and talked for awhile. Enough for me to have a couple more shots and special teas apiece.

"Alright girls. This is my one night out for who knows how long. Get your asses on the dance floor!" I jumped up and grabbed Angela and Jessica by the hands and led them to the dance floor. Once again, my body started to move with the music. We got to the center of the floor and I started to dance. Angela and Jessica were standing on either side of me. Our hips were moving to the beat and our hands were moving up and down our bodies. Guys kept coming up and trying to dance with the girls, but they just brushed them off. Ben and Mike made there way down to the dance floor and started to dance with their girls. I start to dance on my own, not minding at all letting the music wash over me. My pace never changed when the song changed.

**You spin my head right round, right round  
>When you go down, when you go down down<strong>

**You spin my head right round, right round  
>When you go down, when you go down down<strong>

**Hey  
>Hopped out of that house with my swagger<br>Hop in that with girl, I got places to go!  
>People to see, time is precious<br>I look at my Cartier, out of control  
>Just like my mind where I'm going<br>No women, no shorties, no nothin but clothes  
>No stoppin now, my Pirelli's on role<br>I like my jewelry, that's always on gold  
>I know the storm is comin<br>My pockets keep tellin me it's gonna shower  
>Call up my homies that's home<br>Then pop in the night cuz it's meant to be ours  
>We keep a fade away shot cuz we ballin<br>It's platinum patron that be ours  
>Lil mama, I owe you just like the flowers<br>Girl you to drink with all that and power clubs**

I glanced over my shoulder and saw that Ben and Angela were getting downright cozy on the dance floor and Mike and Jessica had disappeared. I snorted, knowing that they were most likely getting it on in a dark corner or bathroom somewhere.

**You spin my head right round, right round  
>When you go down, when you go down down<strong>

**You spin my head right round, right round  
>When you go down, when you go down down<strong>

Suddenly I felt a hand slip around my waist. I spun around quickly, hand raised to smack whoever dared to touch me, and I looked into the most beautiful green eyes that I have ever seen. I mean really, who has eyes like a gemstone? I gasped in shock, my hand falling to my side.

"A beautiful girl such as you should not be dancing by herself. Allow me." His arms wrapped around me and started to move our bodies to the beat of the music.

**From the top of the pole I watch her go down  
>She got me throwin my money around<br>Ain't nothin more beautiful to be found  
>It's goin down down.<br>From the top of the pole I watch her go down  
>She got me throwin my money around<br>Ain't nothin more beautiful to be found  
>It's goin down down<strong>

**Hey  
>Shawty must know I'm not playin<br>My money love her like a numba one fan  
>Don't look at my mouth, let her talk to my fans<br>My Benjamin Franklins  
>A couple of grands, I got rubber bands<br>My paper planes makin a dance  
>Get dirty all night, that's part of my thing<br>Keep building castles that's made out of sand  
>She's amazing, the fire blazing<br>Hotter than cajun  
>Girl won't you move a lil closer?<br>Time to get paid, it's maximum wage  
>That body belong on a poster<br>I'm in a daze, that bottom is wavin' at me  
>Like damn it I know you<br>You wanna show like a gun out of holster  
>Tell me whatever and I'll be your roper…<strong>

During the song I turned my body around and started grinding my ass into him. His hands never left my hips. It was like he was guiding my body what he wanted it to do, but never once tried to over power it. Slowly I turned so my chest is pressing against his chest. I look up to stare at his eyes again, grinding myself against him. My hands find his hair, feeling how soft and silky it is.

**You spin my head right round, right round  
>When you go down, when you go down down<strong>

**You spin my head right round, right round  
>When you go down, when you go down down<strong>

**From the top of the pole I watch her go down  
>She got me throwin my money around<br>Ain't nothin more beautiful to be found  
>It's goin down down<br>From the top of the pole I watch her go down  
>She got me throwin my money around<br>Ain't nothin more beautiful to be found  
>It's goin down down<strong>

My eyes never leave this mystery man as I slowly lower myself down his body. Rising up, I see that his eyes are almost completely black with lust. I grab one of his hands and start sucking on his index and middle fingers. His eyes darken further and his nostrils flair.

**You spin my head right round, right round  
>When you go down, when you go down down<strong>

**You spin my head right round, right round  
>When you go down, when you go down down<strong>

**I'm spendin my money  
>I'm out of control<br>Somebody help me  
>She's takin my bank roll.<br>But I'm king of the club  
>And I'm wearin the crown<br>Poppin these bottles  
>Touchin these models<br>Watchin they asses go down down**

Slowly I reach up to his neck, pulling it down so I can reach his lips. I kiss him softly at first wondering if this is too bold. When suddenly he grabs the back of my head and deepens the kiss. His tongue pushing past my lips and dominating my mouth.

**You spin my head right round, right round  
>When you go down, when you go down down<strong>

**You spin my head right round, right round  
>When you go down, when you go down down<strong>

**You spin my head right round, right round  
>When you go down, when you go down down<strong>

**You spin my head right round, right round  
>When you go down, when you go down down<strong>

I am in heaven. I must be. It feels like I am flying. This strange man is making me feel things that I have never felt before. Suddenly I realize that the song is over and the DJ is saying something about closing time. Sadly I pull my mouth away from the amazing kisser and realize that I need to find the gang and maybe drink some water. Suddenly my mouth is dry and the room is spinning.

"Thanks for the dance. I need to go." I rush away trying to stay on my feet while looking for everyone. I get upstairs to hoots and hollars.

"Damn Bells. I didn't know you had it in you!"

"Who was that guy?"

"Well it's good to see you up for some air!'

"Alright lover girl. It's time we head out. I am thinking you have had WAY too much to drink. Lets get you some water. You are so going to regret all the booze in the morning" Angela, my voice of reason said.

We make our way to our hotel and after saying goodnight and promising to drink some water, I made my way to my room. I grabbed my bag and headed to the bathroom to do my nightly routine. I grabbed a glass and filled it with water. As I drank, I thought about the night. I wondered how Beth and Charlie made out for the night. I am glad I got out. I forgot how much fun I have while with my friends. When the water was gone I laid down in bed and closed my eyes. The last thing I remember are emerald green eyes.

**Wow. I got responses right away and I was not expecting that! Thank you for the reviews and alerts. If this continues to be read and liked I will try to update on Monday's and/or Thursday's. Life is a little quieter those nights.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Stephanie Meyers does. All I own is chocolate which is the only thing that can make this day better.**

I woke up to the shrill sound of my phone ringing. My hand blindly slaps the nightstand by the bed looking for the annoying thing. Before I can reach it, the ringing stops. I drop my arm limply by my side and snuggle back into bed. The phone starts ringing again and I sat up quickly in hopes to find it faster.

"Oh that was a bad idea." I groan. "Hello?"

"Bella I have been trying to call you the past 20 minutes. Time to rise and shine!" came Angela's perky voice.

"Stop yelling at me!" I moan into the phone as I lay back down in the bed. "Don't you know it's cruel and unusual punishment to wake a person with a hangover at 8:15 in the morning? You are just way too damn perky. Let me sleep!" I quickly hung up the phone and turned off my phone in attempt to stop her from waking me up. I quickly fell back to sleep cocooned in the nice warm blankets.

I don't know how long I was out but a pounding on the door started me awake. "Isabella Swan you get your ass out of bed or so help me God I will kick this door down and drag you out of there by your hair!" Angela was pounding on the door most likely waking everyone else on the floor up.

Slowly I pulled myself out of bed muttering to myself "Stupid annoying so-called friends. Waking me up just so I can go puke. Was having the best dream ever and now I can't even remember what it was about. What could you possibly want?" I asked her angerly.

"Well good morning to you too sunshine! It is now 9 and we need to be out of here by 10. Get in the shower. You smell funky. And while you are in there you need to tell me what you remember about last night."

"Last night?" I asked as I stood in the middle of the room. "All I really remember is getting to the club and the first round of drinks. Oh God. My head feels like I have a 10 story building sitting on it with all of our kids screaming and tap dancing on the first floor." I slowly made my wak to the bathroom as Angela just sat there and laughed at me.

"Some friend you are. Standing there laughing at me while I am in pain. I'm hurt. I'm going to pass out here and you just look red in the face from laughter. "

"I'm sorry Bells. Really I am. I just think it's absolutely hilarious that you cannot remember the first kiss you have had in I would say 4 years."

"Kiss?" I whisper. "I kissed someone last night? Well who was it? What was the kiss like? What did he look..." I stopped. Green eyes. And not just green. Emerald green. Our bodies pressed close together as we danced. The bass of the music taking over my body. The feeling of his hair running through my fingers. Sucking on his fingers. Earth shattering kiss. A kiss that made my head spin and my heart stop. "Oh God. Angela! I kissed a guy last night! I don't even know his name! I don't know where he works! I don't know if he has and STD's. Oh shit! I didn't do anything stupid besides kiss a complete stranger last night did I? Oh God what am I going to do? I can't get pregnant again! Not by myself! How am I going to explain this to Charlie? Well don't just stand there, say something!"

Angela was just staring at me during my freak out. All of a sudden she started laughing. Laughing so hard that she ended up on the floor holding her stomach. "Bella. Oh shit! My stomach hurts. Sweetie. Why in God's green earth do you think that I would just let you run off with a guy that you literally just met? I mean, come on! Sweetie, all you did was dance and then had a very hot make out session right there. Let's just say that it was so hot that I got a little action, thanks for that by the way. Anyway, when you realized that the music was done playing to stumbled up to us and we left. Together. I dropped you off here in your room and you were out like a light."

I let go of the breath that I didn't know I had been holding and realized that I was standing there in just a bra and underwear. "Shower. Alright. No sex with a stranger? Even better. Alright." I started towards the shower, my head throbbing in time with my heartbeat. "Kill me or something next time I try to drink that much. The morning after is so not worth any of it."

"Right. Kill Bella the second she looks at alcohol. That will go over real well with the Chief. Just get in the shower so that we can go home."

**EPOV**

I stared down at the club from the 3rd floor. Tonight is the opening for Midnight Sun and I couldn't be freaking out anymore than I already am. This was my baby. The project that I have been working on for the past 4 years. The dreaming, the planning, layouts that changed daily. Ideas that came and went on a regular basis in now a reality in front of me. "Jazz, are you sure we have all the licenses up where they need to be? Do we have enough staff for the night? What about the bouncers? I know Emmett said he would do the first shift, but after that we are going to need one at every door and I would like at least 10 on the first 2 levels and 2 on the 3rd."

"Edward..."

"Are all of the bars completely stocked? Do all of the bartenders know where the extra supply is? Have you seen Alice? I want to ask her about the VIP rooms. Is she sure that these colors work?"

"Edward..."

"Was it the right thing to do making them different from the rest of the club? Are black and gray really alright for the club? I don't know man. I think we should redo it again only this time in like I don't know a deep purple and black. Gray is too depressing."

"**EDWARD!** Would you just shut the hell up and take a breath please! For God's sake you are driving me up a wall with all of your second guessing. Here is what is happening. Everything that needs to be posted is posted where it is supposed to be. I overstaffed us for the night because I have a feeling that we are going to be packed. I have enough bouncers for 10 on each floor, plus the doors and I have about 5 on call just in case. All of the bars are fully stocked, the bartenders will be here in an hour for instructions and another walk through of the place. I think that if you ask Ali one more time about the colors in the VIP room or even of the club itself she is going to smack the shit out of you. Everything will be fine Edward. Relax. Head to your office and do what ever the hell you do in there to calm yourself down. I can't have you completely freaking out today of all days."

I nod my head knowing that Jazz is right. I am usually not like this, flustered and second guessing myself, but what exactly can I say? I have put too much time and effort into this club to have it fail on the first night. "Hey Jazz. Didn't you say something about having friends coming tonight?"

"Yeah. I went to school with them. Ben actually was my tutor for biology and we became good friends. He is bringing his girlfriend and a couple of friends from the school tonight. I am hoping to be able to chat with him for a little bit and try to see if there is a time we can meet up. At most I would like to at least have breakfast with them tomorrow morning before they head back to Forks. Maybe we can all go. I'm sure Ali won't mind and Emmett has yet passed up a chance to have food."

"I am not making any promises right now. Sounds good to me though. I just want to see how we fair tonight as far a business. I am hoping that I will have to call in an order for more booze tomorrow, but only time will tell that." I wave good bye to Jazz and head up to my office. My office is the place that I go when I need to relax. When you walk in you are greeted by a couch and some chairs. It's my waiting room and hang out spot for just in case it gets too crazy in the club itself. There are 2 doors that lead off of this room. One is my private bathroom and the other is my office. I love my office. It is completely sound proof so that whenever I sit in there I can listen to my classical music and not hear the pounding bass of the club. When I get to my office today I choose not to tun on my music, but to sit in my chair and look out of my window to the busy street below. I can already see a line starting to form outside of the doors and I start to get nervous/excited. I grab a bottle of water out of the mini fridge that is next to my desk and take a drink. Normally I would have something a little stronger, but tonight, I want to be able to remember all of it. Before I know it it was opening time. My body started humming with excitement. I took a few deep breaths and grabbed my clothes and headed to my bathroom to change. I put my jeans and black button down on leaving the top couple of buttons undone and rolled the sleeves up to my elbows. T washed my face and tried to tame my hair the best I could. Giving up, I walked downstairs to the main part of the club. Already the music was playing and people were filing in. Our bartenders were doing their tricks, helping our alcohol sales increase already. The dance floor was filling up and people seemed to be having a good time. I started making all of my rounds to the bars, helping where I could, checking in with the bouncers nad DJ. Emmett, my brother came up to me with a big grin on his face.

"Bro! This place is bangin! The line is killer outside and it just keeps growing. I just met Jazz's friends. The Ben dude seems pretty cool along with his girlfriend. We have to go eat with them tomorrow. I wanna get to know BEG better! I gotta find Rosie!" With that my brother walked away causing me to shake my head. He wanted to learn how to beg better? I swear one of us is adopted. I made my rounds again finding Ali in the process.

"Hey sis! How's it going? You were right. This place is a hit. Try to have some fun tonight you hear?" I give my sister a quick hug and waked away to the DJ booth again to see if he needed anything. When I got up there he smiled and said he was alright, enjoying this new gig. I turned to the dance floor when something caught my eye. There were 3 girls dancing together. They had the bodies that had all the boys staring but what caught my eye is the girl in the middle. Unlike her friends, she seemed to be dancing for herself. Wanting a closer look, I made my way down to the dance floor and pushed my way through the crowd. Looking, I noticed that her friends were not by her. One of them was dancing with some guy while I could not see the other one. I walked over to her and put my hands on her hips, ready to dance. She turned around suddenly with her hand raised high, when she stopped suddenly. Her eyes that were flashing anger suddenly changed to shock.

"A beautiful girl such as you should not be dancing by herself. Allow me." I put my arms around her waist and started to move to the beat. I could not believe how well we fit together. Her warm body was pushed close to mine, grinding against me. She turned around and started playing with the hair at the base of my head and my eyes almost rolled back. We started dancing again and before long she was facing me again. All of a sudden she grabbed my hands and started sucking on my fingers. A fire of lust slammed into me quickly and I had to take a deep breath to try to calm myself down. I have a feeling that this woman with the deep pools of chocolate for eyes would be the death of me. As the song drew to a close, she reached once again for the back of my neck and pulled me down to her. Her lips met mine in a soft kiss and before I knew what I was doing I deepened that kiss, my tongue thrusting into her mouth. I am not sure how long we stood there kissing and I didn't care. I felt this current between us and I didn't want it to stop. All too soon she pulled away from me and I realized that it was closing time.

"Thanks for the dance. I need to go." She ran off quickly towards the VIP rooms. Before I could take off after her Rosalie came up to me.

"Wow. I didn't see you as a make out with a stranger type. I am impressed."

"I need to know who she is Rose. I need to find her again. Can you see if you can find out anything?"

"I will try, but I make no promises." She walked off looking for her connections trying to help me out. I walked back up to my office, my feet never touching the ground. I think I must be living a dream. There is no way that I just danced with a beautiful girl and was too out of it to even ask for her name. I think I am losing my touch. Jazz walked in my office about an hour later.

"I collected all of the numbers from the bars. I think we ha a pretty amazing night bro. It looks like you are going to have to order more booze tomorrow. I checked the stockroom and over half of our backup is gone. The night was a success. So are you going to come to breakfast with us tomorrow We are meeting them at 10:30. I can come pick you up around 10 if that works for you."

"Yeah. Sure. Sure" I said distractedly. "I will be ready. Hey, have Ali give me a call to make sure I am actually awake. I have a feeling that I am going to sleep through the alarm tomorrow and she is the only person that can get me up with that annoying ring tone of hers."

"Ha. She still has not let you change it?"

"Nope. And the little devil herself does ring tone checks just to make sure. Steals my damn phone anytime she wants. How the hell do you live with her?"

"It's love man. One of these days you will understand." With that Jazz walked out of my office. I stared blankly at the paperwork in front of me, thinking about the one girl that took my breath away.

The next morning I was up and ready to go when Jazz and Ali got to my place. We drove to the bistro that everyone decided on, and listened to Ali chatter on a mile a minute about her shop. It sounded like she was going as crazy as I was last night. We arrived second only to Emmett and Rose. After greeting them I sat down and started looking for what I wanted to eat.

"Oh they're here!" Ali squealed. I looked up and saw 2 guys and 2 girls walking towards our table. They were laughing and talking with each other, but stopped when they saw us. The girls ran up to Jazz and gave him a hug while the guys greeted and introduced everyone.

"Hey everyone. My name is Ben and this is Mike. The girls are Angela and Jessica."

"Hey were is BEG?" Emmett asked. "You aren't leaving her out in the car are you? I might just have to go out and rescue her."

"No. She is coming Emmett. Don't you worry. She just had to stop for a minute. She drank way too much last night." Ben told him. Everyone from his group started laughing but I really didn't pay attention. I was hungry and I wanted food. I started to look through the menu as everyone started talking again when I heard someone walk up.

"Sorry everyone. I am still waiting for the room to stop spinning from last night. I didn't keep you from ordering did I? Good. I'm Bella by the way. Bella Swan."

As she said her name I looked up and into the same chocolate brown eyes from the nigh before. I heard her gasp as she looked at me.

"I'm Edward Cullen. It's nice to see you again Bella." The table got quiet.

"Wait." The girl named Angela said. "You know each other?"

"Um. Well. You remember me dancing last night? Well this was my partner."

"Holy Shit" was said all round the table.

"Well girl. I gotta tell you. You are one lucky bitch!" Jessica said.

Bella blushed and looked at me. I felt the need to crawl over the table and whisk her into my arms to protect her from out friends.

"Bella. Would you like to take a walk?" I ask her.

"I think that would be a good idea." came her reply.

As we walked out I couldn't believe my luck. I had found my beauty again and this time I was not going to let her go.

**Sorry for it ending right there. I realized that this chapter might not actually be the best, but I wanted to get something out. Too much drama at work is a major cause of this craptastic day. I hope everyone else had a good day. Let me know what you think so far. I love any feedback. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyers owns Twilight. Sadly I do not. Hopefully I don't mess this up too much!**

After my shower, I quickly got ready to head back home. I really miss Beth. I have never spent this long away from her since she was born and I don't think that I could do that again. Throwing my bathroom things into my suitcase, I gave Charlie a quick call.

"Hey there Bells! Did you have fun last night?"

"Hey Dad. Yeah I did. I forgot how much I love dancing. How was your night with Beth? Was she good for you?"

"Yes she was. We watched Ice Age and had popcorn with some M&M's in it. Put her to bed at 9 and she was out like a light right after. So how do travel times look for you?"

"Well, we are going out for a brunch with Ben's friend, his wife and her brothers. I am not sure what time we will get on the road, but I will give you a call to let you know."

"Sounds good to me. Talk to you later then."

"Bye Dad."

I tossed my phone in my purse and grabbed my clothes for the day. I put on my light skinny jeans with my long light blue t-shirt. Throwing my hair up in a messy bun, I was done. I grabbed my bags and headed down to the lobby to meet up with the rest of the group.

"Well, well. Sleeping Beauty awakes! How ya feeling?" asked Ben grinning ear to ear at me.

"Shut up you smart ass. I am fine. Well as fine as one can be with a pounding headache and enough nauseousness to upchuck a horse."

"Well isn't that a lovely mental picture. Alright Pukeyella. Let's get some food in you to help settle that stomach down. We are meeting them in 20 and we are already checked out. Let's hit the road!"

We walked out to the car and headed to meet Ben's friends. I was looking at my lap the entire ride hoping like hell that I wouldn't throw up. I am never drinking that much again. I need to get tattooed somewhere. Don't ever drink again, remember the last time? I think that would work perfectly. Somewhere in my brilliant thought we stopped. I took a chance and looked out of the window and saw that we had arrived. I was glad to see that I was not under dressed and would fit in quite nicely. I opened the car door and stood up. Bad mistake. The entire place was spinning.

"You guys go ahead on in. I need a minute to realign my vision. Maybe go puke. Maybe both. Who knows?"

Everyone went inside and I took a minute to gather my wits about me. I sat down on the side of the street and took a couple of deep breaths willing my body to calm the hell down. Standing up, I found that things were not spinning quite as badly before and decided to join the rest of the group. Walking in I heard everyone laughing. I walked over to the table sitting down.

"Sorry everyone. I am still waiting for the room to stop spinning from last night. I didn't keep you from ordering did I?" Mostly everyone shook their heads at the question. "Good. I'm Bella by the way. Bella Swan."

Suddenly, the guy that had been studying his menu dropped it and I gasped. Green eyes. Emerald green eyes. The eyes from my dreams. This was the man I danced with last night.

"I'm Edward Cullen. It's nice to see you again Bella."

The entire table got quiet, looking between the two of us.

"Wait." Angela said. " You know each other?"

"Um. Well. You remember me dancing last night?" She nodded. "Well this was my partner.

"Holy Shit." Was the reaction of everyone at the table.

"Well girl," Jessica said. "You are one lucky bitch!"

I felt my face light on fire and looked up at Edward. The look in his eyes made me shake with lust and fear at the same time. No one has had this effect on me.

"Bella, would you like to take a walk?" Edward asked me.

"I think that would be a really good idea." I needed to see what we going on inside his head. If he was feeling the same draw towards me that I was him, I was going to have to nip it in the bud. I can't afford do the relationship thing again.

We both stood up and walked out of the place. When we got outside, the sidewalk was much more crowded that it had been not 5 minutes earlier. Edward lightly grabbed my elbow and directed me towards a nearby park. Our walk there was entirely silent. I was trying to think of what to say to him if indeed he asks to see me again. One of the safe reasons is that I live in Forks and he lives here. Distance never seems to work. Yeah. I will use that one. I don't want to bring up Beth . He doesn't need to know about her. After all, this will be the only time I ever see him. He doesn't need my story.

"Here. Have a seat." Edward motioned me towards a bench in a much less crowded area. I glanced around, surprised on how far we had walked. I guess being in my head is never a bad thing really.

"So." Edward said. "Um. How are you? Heard you had too much to drink last nigh?"

"Yeah, just a bit. I am feeling better though thanks. So, I'm sorry if I was too forward last night. I haven't been dancing nor drinking for awhile and I think I over did it just a bit."

"Trust me when I say I didn't mind at all. I am not usually the kind to dance while working but something called me to you last night. So I really should be the one to apologize for being forward. I kind of just grabbed you and started dancing. Forgive me?"

"Of course. There is nothing to forgive. So tell me about yourself. I take it you are the other part owner of the club? It's fantastic by the way. I especially love all of the different colors of the VIP rooms. That idea in itself is brilliant."

"Thank you." he said. "Well, My name is Edward Cullen. I am 26 years old. My sister is Alice and she is married to Jasper who is the other owner of the club. I am guessing that you saw my bear of a brother Emmett? His girlfriend is Rosalie. We grew up in LA and when Jasper decided to help with with the club he told me the best place to have it would be here in PA. He said that we could try to open one in LA but we would not be as successful as we could be. I talked about it with my family and we all decided to move up here to start the family business. We have been up here for a year getting everything ready, and I hate to say it but Jasper was right. This is the best place for a club."

I sat there listening to him and felt like I could sit there and listen to him talking forever and that scared me. I can't have these feelings for someone. It is not safe. I need to protect my daughter above all else.

"I'm sorry." I said glancing down at my watch making it look like I am concerned about the time. "I think I need to head back. It really was nice to meet you. Thank you for the dance." With that, I got up and all bur ran back to the group, pausing only to text Angela to see if they were ready to go. She said that they were not, so I asked if I could use the car to drive home. I got a phone call from here.

"Ok. What happened?"

"So we are sitting in this park and he is talking and telling me a little about himself. I was listening to him when I realized that I could sit there and listen to him forever. I have not had feelings like that since James and I refuse to walk down that path again. When he was done talking I made up some excuse about having to leave and got the hell outta there. I refuse to do that all over again. I didn't tell him about Beth. Please don't tell his family. I need to keep her safe and the more people that know that I have a daughter the quicker it will get back to Edward. I just want to remember his face when we were dancing, not the look of shock and disgust of finding out I have a daughter. I don't think I could handle that from him."

"That's fine Sweetie. We will meet you out front. I am ready to get home anyway."

I hung up the phone and quickly made my way to the car. I didn't want to ruin a completely fun night with all of my fear and insecurities so I just stayed away from Edward's family. I gave them a small wave and got into the back seat. Ben and Angela quickly go into the car and we were off headed back to Forks. I shot Charlie a quick text telling him we were on out way back home and the 3 of us started talking about how the night went. We all decided that it really was wonderful to get out. Ben and Angela were talking about their next trip there and I stayed quiet in the backseat.

"Alright Bella. You got quiet when we started talking about going back. You are coming back with us next time, aren't you?' Ben asked me.

"I'm sorry Ben. I really did have a fun night last night. But I already know that I can't go back there as much fun as it was. I can't risk running into Edward again. I would rather have one night of fun, than trying to explain why I can't go out every night and weekend. I am happy with my life as it is. Drama free, well minus work, and all."

"Bella, you know I love you right?" asked Angela "Well what you said is a bunch of bull shit. It has been almost 4 years since you have dated anyone. I know that you don't want to have a relationship with single guys, but friendship is not that bad. Not every male in the world is a bastard like James and I hope you realize that in Ben and Mike. They are not 'safe' to talk to because they are married. They are kind men. From what I saw, Jasper, Emmett, and even Edward are kind. They don't seem to be the love them and leave them type. Now I want you to think. Think about what I said. Think about how Edward came across. Think long and hard about it." With that, she turned around and began talking to Ben, giving me the time and space that I needed in that moment. Angela was right. I needed to stop holding people at and arms length. But how do you break a 4 year habit? I have learned to keep everything that I hold dear close to my chest, not letting the world see it or try to damage it in any way. I find the thought of opening up to any person, especially Edward, frightening enough to take my breath away. I had opened myself up once, and was left alone and broken when I most needed him. I had hardened my heart in that moment and swore to never let someone in again.

After we said our goodbyes, Ben and Angela drove off and I pent the rest of the weekend with Beth and Charlie. Charlie seem relieved to have me home. I think that Beth wore him out more than he thought that she would. Sunday passed by in a blur of coloring, cooking, cleaning, and just having fun with my little girl. That night as I tucked Beth into bed she looked at me "Mommy, why can't I have a daddy? If I'm a good girl will you get me one?"

The statement alone broke my heart, but her eyes is what tore me to pieces. Big tears rolled down her cheeks. "Baby girl. Finding a daddy is hard. I want to make sure that he is the right one for us. We don't want just any daddy. We want one that will play with you and read storied to you and color with you. One that twill make you smile and laugh. I need to find a daddy that will make mommy smile and laugh. One that will love both of us with all of his heart."

"Okay Mommy. I guess it's hard to find a daddy." With that her eyes started to droop. I turned on her princess night light and closed her door behind me as I walked out. I quickly ran into my room closing my door behind me tears falling freely down my face. How could I not see it? How could I not see that Beth was missing something important in her life? I need to get my ass in gear and figure out what I needed to do to help both myself and my little girl. I can't stand to see her upset. I quickly cleaned off my face and decided to at least look up Edward Cullen. He seems like he would be popular enough with the club to have some information on the world wide web. I turned on my slow moving computer and quickly changed into pajamas. While I was waiting for the boot up to start, I ran downstairs, fixed a quick snack of pineapple, told Charlie goodnight and headed back to my room. My computer was up and running when I got back so I sat in my computer chair and ate my pineapple trying to gather the courage to type Edwards name in google. I sat there for awhile before I just got up and went to bed. What can I say? Rome wasn't built in a day and there is no way that I could change 4 years of miss trust in one night.

**A/N: Sorry that this chapter is so short. It has been a very long week and I have not been feeling myself at all. Yesterday I worked 10.5 hours due to a head lice outbreak in my classroom. Needless to say I am extremely tired and I have no voice due to a cold I had earlier in the week. I will try to update again soon. I make no promises though. What did you think of EPOV? Should I try that again or should I just keep it BPOV?**


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own Twilight. What I do own is fresh baked Italian bread, awesome dill dip and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. All of which I am enjoying right now. By the way, there is a character in LOTR Return of the King that I think was paid way too much to say a few lines and smile to show off super creepy teeth. I laugh every time.**

**EPOV**

She walked away. I couldn't believe it. She got up and walked away. There I was thinking that we were having a good chance to talk when all of a sudden she said that she had to leave. I am not sure how long I sat there, in shock over the fact that she was gone, that when my phone rang it made me jump.

"Hello?"

"Edward. Man, where are you? Ben and group have been gone for the past 20 minutes and we can't find you anywhere. Where did you go?"

"I'm in the park down the block."

"Ok. Go to the entrance and I will meet you there."

With that the line was disconnected. I slowly got up and walked towards the entrance. By the time I got there Jasper and Alice were already there waiting for me in the car.

"Well big brother. What do you think of Bella?" Alice asked.

"I don't know. I thought we were having a good conversation. I told her a little about the club and the family and the next thing I know, she is gone. Before I could really tell her much about myself, before I could ask her about herself, she was gone. I don't even know anything about her. Just her name."

"Wow. Just wow. I wonder what caused her to walk away. Ben and Angela are amazing people. I would love to hang out with them some more. Jessica and Mike are as well, but I am not sure they will fit well. I think they would be more content to stay in their own little bubble for the time being. Maybe in the future."

"Well do me a favor? The next time you hang out with Ben and Angela, could you find more out about Bella for me?"

"Sure. Anything in particular you would like to know?"

Everything... "Eh, just basics I guess. Maybe something that will allow me to get in touch with her."

"Ok. I do know that she works with Angela. Day care or something like that. I am guessing that she loves kids or something. You couldn't work there if you didn't! I forgot what town she said she worked in, but I can get that info quickly enough for you. I think I will give Angela a call tonight. I will invite her to go to Seattle with me. We will make it a girls day. We can go shopping..."

I tuned Alice out as she started to make plans for her and Angela next weekend. I didn't really want the details on how to match the nail polish perfectly or anything like that. I let my mind wonder once again to a very beautiful woman with long soft hair and beautiful chocolate brown eyes.

The next weeks passed. I don't really remember much about it. My whole week I was trying to find more out about Bella. My internet searches came up short and Rose's "contacts" didn't come up with much either. I called Alice on Sunday night knowing that she had called Angela the night before and was disappointed to find out that Alice was stonewalled by Angela. That surprised me. Alice usually could get the information out of a non-talking murderer.

"I tried Edward. Really I did. At one point Angela said point bland 'I know Edward is wanting to find out information about Bella, but I have been asked to not say anything. That girl is too stubborn for her own damn good'. It sounds like Bella is scared. I don't know what of, but when a person is that private, they have been hurt in the past."

That conversation with Alice really made me think. Do I want to take a chance with someone who is hurting? Then I realized that I don't know if she really is hurting or if she just like to hold people at arms length. On Thursday I got a phone call from my mom.

"Hello Dear! How are you doing?"

"Alright. Keeping busy. The club just seems to be getting more popular. I'm excited about that."

"I am so proud of you honey! Your dream is finally coming true! That is amazing. So I was calling to tell you that the house that were looking at about an hour away from you went on the market yesterday. Well, we bought it right away. Right now, I have movers packing up all of our stuff. Your father and I will be moving up there this weekend and we were wondering if you and the gang would come and help us move the stuff and have a family dinner?"

"That sounds great mom. I don't know what everyone's schedule looks like but I will be there. Where is there exactly?"

"It's in a little town called Forks. It's so beautiful Edward. We have a forest in out back yard. I can do all of the gardening that I want and your father, well who knows what your father will be doing. So I will see you on Saturday?"

"And miss out on your cooking? I don't think so!"

"Great then! I will text you the address tomorrow, so you can find out how to get there."

"Sounds great. Love you mom!"

"Love you too, son. And by the way, you are going to have to tell me what her name is when I see you. Bye!"

How does she do that? I didn't once mention a girl and yet she knew. Mom's are freaky like that. Saturday rolled around quickly. I found out everyone is coming. I am not surprised Emmett will be there. He is such a momma's boy which includes her cooking. I found out that is the town that Jasper grew up in and he was itching for a visit down memory lane. Mom and Dad should be settled by the time we got done with everything. The drive there seemed to clear my head and I started to enjoy the view as I was driving. The closer I got to Forks, the more beautiful it became. No wonder my parents decided to move here. It is the complete opposite of what LA is. Quiet. Peaceful. Green. I made my way down through the town, loving the rustic look of everything. I could see myself spending my down time here.

When I finally made it to my parents house I saw that my whole family made it there. Another care was parked in the driveway that I didn't recognize, I brushed it off knowing that my parents most likely got a new car. I got out of my car and stretched, feeling the week of stress in my back. I walked into my parents new home and was greeted by many boxes and the smell of something good.

"Hey everyone! I'm here!"

"We are in the kitchen sweet heart. Walk down the hall and we are the last door on the left!"

I followed my mom's instructions and walked to the kitchen looking around as I went. As I entered the kitchen, everyone was laughing at something Emmett most likely said. "Hey guys. How's it going?"

"Eddie-ward! Nice of you to join us man! I was just telling mom and dad about opening night and how I met all of Jasper's friends. It was a hoot! I loved Bella's face when I called her BEG. The look of shock and disgust was just perfect."

"I do recall Emmett, that it was not a look of shock, but more of confusion on my part. I didn't like the sound of me being compared to a dog."

I stopped mid-step. I knew that voice. That was Bella's voice. What was Bella's voice doing in my parents house? Time seemed to slow down and I looked up and saw her stand up from my parents kitchen table. Her eyes held mine except for the split second that she looked at someone to her left. I didn't dare look away, afraid that she would disappear again. "Hey Edward. How are you doing?"

"I. Uh. I'm good? How have you been?"

"Uh, busy. You know work and all. How is the club doing? Jasper says it's been busier than normal? That's amazing, but not surprising. That is one of the best clubs I have ever been to."

I just stared at her. Was this the same girl that a week ago got up from the bench and left me? What the hell was she doing in my parents house? How did my parents know her?

"Alright gang." my mom interrupted my eternal questioning. "Here is how we are going to do this. Carslile and I are going to work here in the kitchen. Alice and Jasper you guys take the first spare bedroom. Emmett and Rose, you take the den. Ben and Angela please try the second spare bedroom. Edward and Bella the living room. I figure if we all pair up and take a room, we should have this place looking like a home!"

Everyone went to there assigned areas and started working. Bella and I stood there looking at each other for a moment and then we made our way to the living room. We started working together in silence, asking the occasional question on where we think that something should go. Finally I gathered the nerve to ask her a question.

"Bella, why did you walk away last week? Did I do something wrong?"

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry Edward. I was really rude last week. It's just that I really don't trust very easy. I woke up that morning and realized that I had kissed a perfect stranger. When I saw you again, I panicked. I was comfortable with you, and that scared me. A lot. There are things about me that I am not comfortable sharing with you at the moment. The more that I get to know you the more I will talk. Please, please understand that this has nothing to do with you. My past, while not horrible in any means has done enough damage to make me not trust a lot of new people."

I just sat there for a minute, shocked. That was the most she has ever talked to me and it was to mainly warn me that she had some severe trust issues. Is this girl worth all of the trouble that it would take to break through all of the walls that she has built up? I looked at her face, her eyes pleading with me to understand. "Alright Bella. I understand that something has happened in your past. I will do everything in my power to gain your trust. Why don't you just tell me what you want to tell me and we will go from there."

"What would you like to know?"

"I would say a lot that you are not comfortable with sharing and that is alright with me. How about you tell me what you were like when you were in high school? I am sure there are stories there. Or how about what you were like growing up. I would gladly listen to anything that you want to tell me."

"I got to warn you that my life really is not that interesting. Neither was it growing up or in high school. Let's see. My mom and my dad split when I was just 3. I guess my mom just could not stay settled in one area. She and I moved around for years, following jobs, dreams, hunches. I learned quickly that I was going to have to be the adult in the mother/daughter relationship. I was fine with that. I liked seeing my mom happy and traveling and being carefree was like paradise for her. I usually visited my dad during the summers. He would take me fishing and we would hang out with each other. I really liked the summers. Charlie let me feel like a kid for once. Sure I had to cook for him, but that was all. He helped me clean the house and always made sure the bills were paid on time along with making sure I had everything that I needed. The summer before my Junior year, my mom married a minor league baseball player named Phil and I decided to move in with charlie permanently. I could tell that he was really excited about it because when I got back from Arizona from packing all of my things, there was this old red truck parked in the driveway. He had bought it from his fishing buddy that lives in La Push. Billy's son Jacob had rebuilt it and it was perfect for me. Charlie knew that I didn't want to be driven around in his car. Charlie is the police chief here in Forks by the way. I met Angela on my first day. She was the only person that didn't stare at me like I was a shiny new toy. She and Ben were real. They included me on everyday things like studying together, having movie nights. You know, regular teenager things. For the first time, I was being my age. It felt nice."

As she was telling me this, she was moving around and unpacking boxes, handing me things. I took that as she wanted me moving around, not looking at her as she told me part of her story. I put away everything that she handed me and started organizing Mom and Dad's DVD's. When she stopped we continued to put things away. I took a glance at her while she was moving around and she looked like she was concentrating very hard on getting my mothers vase just right on the coffee table.

"So" I say "where is your mom now? Is she still married to Phil? When was the last time you saw her?"

"My mom and Phil live in Florida. He is coaching a high school baseball team. He got injured in one of his games that sidelined him for good. I actually went to see them about 2 months ago. They are still trying to get me to move there." She looked upset about that for some reason, but I didn't feel like that was something that she wanted to share.

"So how did you know that I would be here today?"

"Well, Alice called Angela and told her that your parents were moving here to town and that they were getting the whole family together to help set up the house and have a family dinner. Alice asked Angela if she and Ben would come and help and to just hang out. Alice said she could invite anyone that she wanted. Angela and I have been talking at work all week, and she knew that if I ever had a chance to see you and explain some things that I would take it. I made sure my schedule was free for the day and here I am."

"I'm happy you are here. I have been kicking myself this week for not getting anymore from you besides your name. I am sorry if I caused you any panic last week. It was never my intention to make you feel uncomfortable. I hope that we will be able to get to know each other as time goes on. Here." I grab her cell phone and program my number in before calling my phone from it. "Now I have your number and you have mine. Call me anytime that you want. My line of work means that I am usually up at all hours of the day and night. I would love the chance to get to know you better."

"Edward, Bella! We are taking a break for lunch now. Come join us for lunch!" My mom called from somewhere in the house. I looked at Bella and offered my hand to help her off of the couch. She smiled at me and took my hand. As soon as she was up she let go and we walked into the kitchen.

"Is there anything I can do to help Esme?" she asked.

"No but thank you dear. Alright, everyone is in charge of making their own sandwiches. Everything you could need is on the island. Drinks are in the fridge. Help yourself!"

Emmett practically ran over everyone to get to the food first where he proceeded to make the largest sandwich that I have ever seen. Everyone just shook their head at him and headed over to the island to make their food. I noticed Bella hanging back, waiting for everyone else to get there food and I was not having that. It seemed that she was responsible for someone else most of her life and it is time someone took responsibility for her. I walked over to her and led her to the island. I took a plate and put it in her hand and basically walked her through making her sandwich. The shock on her face showed more than I think she wanted. No one had ever done this for her. We grabbed our drinks from the fridge and sat down at the table with everyone else. As I sat there silently, eating my lunch, I watched as Bella interacted with my family and her friends. She is someone special. She could follow all of the different topics of discussion that were thrown out. She talked with my mom about cooking, my dad about the fishing and things to do around the area. She and Emmett were firing insults back and forth without a blink of an eye. Bella seemed to fit here with my family. I just need to figure out how to break down the walls. I needed to earn Bella Swan's trust.

**A/N: So what do we think? An entire chapter in EPOV. The next one will be BPOV cause we gotta know what was going on in her head through the week. So I have moved from LOTR to the Goblet of Fire. Gotta love the R-Patz! Let me know what you thought!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't own Twilight. Stephanie Meyers does.**

**BPOV**

The following week, I got my shit together for lack of better terms. I got back into my normal routine with Beth and Charlie. I also added some interned time to do some research on Edward Cullen and his family. I know I sound crazy, but one can never be too safe. I thought about asking Charlie to do a background check on him, but I thought better. I really don't want to have the conversation with Charlie on how we met. Yeah dad, I danced with this strange guy, planted my ass on his crotch, sucked on his fingers, and made out with him, all while drunk. Nope, don't think so. Charlie would freak. After finding out some more about the family, I think that I felt ok with getting to know them a little more. Edward and Jasper co-own the club, not a big shocker there. Alice is opening up a store called Pixie Dust. Emmett is a firefighter and Rosalie is a model. All of them have a very private life although I did find a lot of fundraisers that they held. Mostly for hospitals, but there was a couple for battered women and children, along with some for childrens hospitals. There were pictures of them at all of them and damn did Edward look good! Angela was encouraging me the entire time saying how proud of me she was.

On Thursday night, I got a call from Angela "Hey. What are you doing on Saturday?"

"Just the usual. Yard work, laundry, cleaning, taking Beth to the park. Why? What's up?"

"Well, Alice called me and asked if me and Ben were interested in Helping her parents move in to the house they just bought. Apparently the whole family will be there and they want to spend more time with me and Ben. Alice also said that I could bring a friend along. After that, she not so discretely asked how you were doing. I swear that woman is pushy!" Angela laughed at that last comment.

I took a deep breath and slowly blew it out. "This is what I have been waiting for isn't it? A chance to see him again, talk to him."

"Yeah sweetie. It is. Remember you don't have to do this, but I think that this would be helpful for you. I know you like him. You can do this. Ben and myself will be there if you need us, but sweetie, this really is something you need to do. You deserve the happiness that you could have with Edward."

"I know. You're right. I can do this. If not for me, for Beth. Beth needs me to do this. Even if it does not work with Edward, I need to be able to open myself up for her. She deserves to have a complete family. Ok. Saturday. Why don't you guys meet me here and we can drive over together. I will need the support."

"Not a problem sweetie. We will meet you there at 7:30ish."

"Sounds good! Talk to you tomorrow!"

After getting off of the phone with Angela, butterflies moved into my stomach and didn't leave. Friday passed by quickly and I called Sue to see if she could watch Beth on Saturday for me. Sue lives on the Rez but is in town often watching her daughter Leah's son Noah. Noah and Beth are about 5 months apart and play together at the day care all the time so I had no worries there. I told Charlie what was going on. He decided to spend the day fishing with Billy after I told him about the empty house. Everything was ready to go, but I was freaking out. What if he just walked away when he saw me? I deserve it for walking out on him. How much do I tell him? What do I tell him? What kind of conversation will we have. Breaking in to my thoughts, my phone started going off. Looking at the phone I answer "Hey mom. How's it going?"

"Amazing sweetheart! Guess what? Phil just got offered a coaching job here in Jacksonville so we are staying here! With the money he will be bringing in we are going to be buying a bigger house so that you and Beth will be able to visit us more often. Maybe you would even consider moving back down here."

"Stop right there mom. First of all, tell Phil I say congrats. I am proud of him for getting an awesome job. Secondly, we were just there 2 months ago and visiting goes both ways. Thirdly, you know that I will never, ever move back there. Ever. So please just let that go. It's not going to happen."

"Bella, I'm sorry. I just can't stand you being so far away. Look, I have been keeping an eye and ear out for James. Last time I checked he was with some girl named Victoria. He moved in with her right after he left you."

"Well I wish them all the luck. Hope she doesn't want kids."

"Honey don't be so bitter. He is the one that is losing out not you. YOU are the one that has a beautiful daughter, not him. YOU are the one that has matured more that I thought possible and become a wonderful mother and woman. YOU are an amazing parent despite your past. YOU are brave and smart and beautiful and no matter what life has thrown at you, you made the best decisions that you could have made. I am proud of you baby. You have become everything that I hoped and prayed you would become and then some. I love you baby."

"I love you too Mom." I sniffed. "Thank you. You don't even realize how much I needed those words." I then told Renee everything that had been happening. She, like Angela, encouraged me to talk to Edward. "Let him in sweet pea. From what you told me, he and his family seem like good people."

Saturday came and the butterflies multiplied. I was jumping from place to place not being able to settle down. Ben and Angela showed up and my nerves increased tenfold. Once we pulled up to the Cullen's new place I was in awe. The house was amazingly beautiful. I slowly got out of the car and was immediately greeted a very loud squeal and strong arms wrapping themselves around me.

"I knew you would come!" Came the very loud voice of a very tiny person.

"Um. Hi?" I said looking confused at the tiny pixie like person latched onto me.

"Sorry." she giggled "I'm Alice. Edwards sister and Jaspers wife. It's great to finally meet you! I just know we are going to be good friends." She let go of me and skipped back towards the house beckoning us to follow her.

"Hey hey! It's BEG!" came the booming voice of Emmett. Once again I was being hugged but this time I was pulled off of the floor and spun around.

"Emmett, really? You are going to make the poor girl sick." came a soft voice. "I'm sorry dear. I swear if I didn't know better I would think that he was raised by wolves. I'm Esme. You must be Bella. It's a pleasure to meet you."

I was quickly placed on my feet by Emmett who was then smacked on the back of the head by a beautiful blond. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well Esme. You have such a beautiful home."

"Not a problem dear. Hello Angela, Ben. Welcome. Lets go to the kitchen and wait for Edward. He should be shortly. Now this is my husband Carslile. And this beautiful women is Rosalie. She is Emmett's wife." She smiled fondly at both of them.

We settled down in the kitchen and started talking about how we went to the same school with Jasper and how we met Emmett at the club. Everyone was laughing at how I got the nickname that I did. During my explanation of my face when Emmett called me BEG the first time, Edward walked in. The look of shock crossed his face when he realized that I was there. I slowly got up from the table and glanced at Angela who was sitting next to me. She gave me an encouraging nod and I slowly walked over to Edward.

"Hi Edward. How are you?"

"I, uh, I'm good? How have you been?"

"Uh, busy. You know. Work and all. How is the club doing? Jasper says that it's been busier than normal? That's amazing it's one of the best clubs I've been to."

Edward just stared at me confusing etched on his face. Thankfully his mom sent us all off to different areas of the house to unpack and organize. Edward and I got sent to the living room. While we were in there, I was able to keep my hands busy and tell him a little about myself. Before I knew it we were being called back into the kitchen for lunch. I felt that a small weight had been lifted off of me but I knew that there would be more to come. After lunch we all took a tour of the house and I was once again in awe of the beauty of the house. Around 3 I excused myself to go, stating that I still needed to do some things around my own place. Edward walked over to me.

"Bella. Thank you for coming today. It was great to see you again. Is there any way that I could talk to you again?"

"Of course. Here give me your cell." he handed it to me and I programed my number in his phone before calling mine from his.

"I will talk to you later." I walked out of the house and drove off. After picking up Beth I took her to a park to play and think about what happened during the day. I was proud of myself. I was able to tell Edward a little bit about myself and he didn't go running away screaming. I just hoped that he would understand and stay after I told him about James and Beth.

Later that night after some spaghetti for supper I had Beth out of the bath and ready for bed. She in Charlie were in the living room doing their normal night time story when someone knocked at the door.

"I got it!" I shouted over my shoulder to the story duo. I dried my hands on a towel and opened the door.

"Alice? What are you doing here?" I asked shocked to see her. "How did you know where I lived?"

"It wasn't that hard. Forks only has one police chief and Jasper remembered where his house was. I was really hoping that I could get to know you better."

"Mommy? I'm ready for bed. Who is she?"

"Beth, this is Ms. Alice. She is one of Mommy's new friends. Alice I would like you to meet my daughter Beth." Alice was looking back and forth between me and Beth, seemingly trying to figure out what was happening. She shook her head suddenly and slowly knelt down to Beth's level.

"Hi Beth. Wow, you look exactly like your mommy. Very beautiful. And I love your Princess nightgown."

"Thanks! Mommy bought it for me. I gots lots more. You wanna see?"

Alice quickly looked at me and I nodded saying that it was alright. "I would love to! Lead the way." Beth quickly grabbed Alice's hand and led her up the stairs to the room.

"Wow." Alice said as she entered Beth's room."This room is made for the princess that you are! It's beautiful. I think that if I have a little girl, I will have her room just like this!"

"Thanks! Momma did it. Momma, do I have to go to bed? I wanna play with my dolls with Ms. Alice."

"Sorry sweetheart. Not tonight. You have had a very busy day playing with Noah and at the park. It's bedtime." I gently but firmly told Beth.

"Don't worry Beth. I will be over again, and we will play with those dolls of yours. I promise." Alice told her.

"Kay!" Beth ran over and gave Alice a huge hug and jumped into bed. "Momma, can we make cookies tomorrow? I wanna take some to Noah cause he said I couldn't make any?"

"We will see Angel. Goodnight my princess." I bent down and gave her a quick hug and a kiss before walking out of the room, leaving the door cracked. "Why don't we go downstairs and we can talk in the kitchen."

Alice just nodded, shock painted on her face. She followed me downstairs into the kitchen where I got both of us a glass of water.

"So."

"How? I mean, when? When were you going to tell us that you have a daughter? Does Edward know? Is that way Angela always shut me off when the conversation turned to you? Who is her father? Where is her father?" questions came flying out of her mouth so quickly that I barely followed.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys Alice. I was planning on telling you all about her, but in my own time. I really would like to talk to Edward about everything first. I think that he deserves that much."

"I think you should call him. He never left my parents new place. I think that he planned on staying there overnight. I'm not trying to push you into telling him, but now that I know, I don't know how long I can keep this from him."

"How could I do that? I got burned Alice. Burned bad. So much so that I am leery of letting anyone in. Angela and Ben were lucky that they were my best friends in high school otherwise they wouldn't know."

"All I can tell you is that Edward is a kind, sweet man. He is not going to go running just because you have a past or a daughter. Bella, I have seen the way that he looks at you. That much tells me that he cares for you. A lot. I have never seen him this way with anyone else. Please. I am begging you. He needs to know. And soon. I am sorry that I intruded on your night. I am going to go. Please think about what I said. He needs to know." With that, she stood up, gave me a hug and walked out of the door. I just sat there at the kitchen table thinking. I know that I need to tell Edward, and now that Alice knows I need to tell him sooner rather than later. I reached for my phone and scrolled through my contacts until I found Edwards number. I took a deep breath and hit send.

"Hello?"

"Hey Edward. It's Bella. I know it's kinda late, but I was wondering if you would like to come over to my house so we can talk."

"Uh. Sure. Yeah, not a problem. I will be there." I gave him directions and he said that he would be here in about 30 minutes. I told Charlie what was going on and nicely asked him to be somewhere not in the area that we were talking. He grumbled about it for a few minutes but luckily he went to his room to finish whatever game he was watching. I quickly set to work cleaning up the living room and the kitchen just to keep myself busy. Before I knew it or was ready for it, there was a knock at the door. I took a deep breath, opened the door, and was greeted by a smiling Edward.

"Now I know that I said that I wanted to see you again, but I didn't think that it would be that soon." he joked as he walked in.

"What can I say? I didn't have it in me to keep you away." I joked right back leading him to the kitchen. I pointed him to the table and offered him a drink.

"Water is fine thanks. So what do I owe the honor of your call requesting me to your wonderful home?"

I took a deep breath. "I told you today that there were still some thing that I wanted to tell you, but it just wasn't the right time." I closed my eyes and gathered whatever courage I could. "This part of my story is the hardest for me to tell. I was hurt badly a little over 4 years ago. It's a time of my life that I am not actually very proud of. I went to college in Florida. It was cheaper for me to go there and I was actually closer to my mom and step dad. It was my 20th birthday and my friends wanted to take me out. We went to this club that let under aged kids in and we had a blast. My friend Cory introduced me to his friend James and we hit it off right away. I was not interested in a relationship at that time and neither was he. We ended out hanging out all night together. The next day I saw him and he walked up and gave me this huge hug and we went back to my place to watch some movies and just hang out after class. That night, we ended up getting completely drunk and we had sex for the first time. Two months had passes and we had fallen into a routine of hanging out everyday after class and on weekends. I started hanging out with his friends more and more and I felt like we were moving into a dating type of relationship. After all he had basically moved in with me, we were together all of the time and got questioned about what we were everyday. One week I started feeling off. Not really sick, but just off. I called Angela one night and she asked if I had taken a pregnancy test. I said no, because I was on the pill there was no way that I was pregnant. She is the one that told me I should take one anyway and that she would stay on the phone with me while I did. I came pack positive and I was shocked. I didn't think that it could happen to me. I waited till the next day to tell James anything because we were hanging out with his friends that night and I really didn't want to have that conversation right then. James met me at home the next day and I was freaking out so I just kind of blurted it out. At first James was quiet. He went kind of pale at first, but then he turned bright red. And then the shouting started. He blamed me for getting pregnant, saying that it was all my fault. I told him that I was on the pill so there was no way that I could be pregnant. Then he said 'There is no way that there will be a child on this earth with my DNA. Get rid of the damn thing' and when I told him that I could not and would not have an abortion he smacked me. 'I don't give a fuck what you think! You will do as I say! Get the damn abortion and don't let this shit ever happen again!' I got scared. I ran. I got into my car and just drove. I ended up about 3 towns over in a grocery store parking lot, crying. I was scared. Scared of James, scared of being pregnant, scared of being alone. All during this time James was calling and texting me, begging me to come back to the apartment. Saying that he was sorry for hitting me. That he was just scared and didn't know how to process the information. I had no place to go cause mom and Phil were out of town at the time and I didn't have a key to their house. I went back home and James was there pacing the floor. 'I'm so sorry. I won't ever do that again. Please you have to get rid of it. I'm not ready to be a father. I was not built to be a father.' I just stood there as he hugged me, scared to breath, hoping that he wouldn't hit me. He fell asleep and I just laid there, trying to process the day. The next morning James left for work and I took another test. That test was negative. When James got back that night I told him not to worry that I was not pregnant. The look of relief was all over his face. James started coming over less and less and when he did it was awkward. Finally he just stopped coming over or calling or answering calls. I moved on and moved in with mom and Phil. A few month later, mom said that I was getting really fat. That day the entire story came out of my mouth. Mom cried with me and Phil was ready to go after James and kill him. Thankfully I talked him out of that. Renee suggested I take another test and I read pregnant withing 5 seconds. I started crying. I was pregnant. I had to have James back in my life. I was scared. He had already hit me once, what would he do to my baby? The rest of the pregnancy flew by and before I knew it, I had a beautiful baby girl that was depending on me to keep her safe. Shortly after Beth was born, I moved from Florida here to Forks. It feels safer here. James does not know that he has a daughter. I have not gotten any child support from him and I am keeping it that way. I don't want him to think that he can tell me how to raise her. I don't want her exposed to the violence that lays dormant in him."

I looked up at Edward and I didn't see horror, shock, or pity. I saw kindness and understanding and something that looked like determination. He stood up and walked over to where I was sitting. Kneeling down, he grasped my hands "You, Bella Swan, are an amazing woman. You have been through so much with what that horrible man put you through. I know that it is going to be very hard for you to trust me and to let me in. But I am kneeling here, promising you, that I will do everything in my power to prove to you that I am not going to hurt you or your daughter. Please trust me Bella. I want to be in your life. I want to be your friend. If anything more happens, it will happen on its own time."

I look into his eyes and see nothing but truth. Standing up, I reach for his hand again. "Would you like to see her? She is sleeping now, but we can peek into her room real quick."

"I would love nothing more."

**A/N: I am so very sorry that this took so long to get out. The entire month of August was horrible. There was drama weekly at work that I got drug through that could have ended me working there. Thankfully, I still have my job! Then 2 weeks ago, my grandmother who was 87 fell walking out of church and was put in the hospital. My daughter and I rushed to get to the hospital that was 6 hours away before they took her off of life support. My grandmother passed ****the next day with her whole family around her. Have you ever tried keeping a 3 ½ year old from really playing because there was no real place for her to play for 6 days? It sucks. Thank God for me being able to see some friends that I haven't seen in forever! I promise that I will update again soon. It might not be this week due to my dad and step-mom coming up and taking me, my husband, and my daughter on a mini family vacation. Hope you all have a great week!**


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